History and Background

As a former physical education teacher and head varsity football coach, Mike Masters understands the power and influence a coach possesses. Coach Masters was powerfully influenced by his dad, Gene Masters, who coached for 44 years and was inducted into the Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame, as well as the NYS Public Athletic Association. Through Mike’s unique heritage, he learned that character is the essential component required to reach one’s potential and produce a balanced and complete athlete. From this core belief CTF’s “Training the Heart of a Champion from the Inside Out” was birthed in August of 2005. At that time CTF began with 4 schools and 6 teams participating in the program. In 2014-2015 CTF transformed into CTA Cross Training Athletics and served more than 40 schools working with over 2,500 athletes and 200 coaches to incorporate character into their coaching plan. It has now expanded into “Cross Training Athletic Programs” - training the entire coaching staff. Lockport was the first school to catch the vision to equip their entire coaching staff with a tool to build character.

Description of Organization

Cross Training Football is a non-profit organization which comes alongside coaches and athletes to help prepare them to live with integrity and respect. We recognize that physical training is of some value, but character has value for all things. Our focus in mentoring coaches and athletes is to see a transformation of heart and a renewing of mind to prepare an athlete to properly handle the challenges of life and to impart the understanding that sport is bigger than the game and offers a platform to develop boys and girls into young men and women. CTA works with many Western New York schools and Little League programs in “Training the Heart of a Champion from the Inside Out” physically, mentally, socially and in spirit.